Another way of asking: Why does someone "belly flop" when they hit the surface of a pool on their stomach rather than just going straight into the water?
Does it have something to do with the surface tension? Hydrogen bonding? Surface area of the projectile? I have a decent understanding of chemistry but I am having difficulty explaining this phenomenon.
Thank you for reading!
it's because water has inertia. This means that if you hit it full-on at speed, it can't get out of your way fast enough to prevent you from being injured... in this context, consider the fact that with a sufficiently fast tow boat, you can water ski with your bare feet: the water under your feet exerts enough pressure on the bottom surface of your feet to support your weight, as long as you are going fast enough.
